Life-saving appakel



F. ZACCARD AND P. McDONOUGH. LIFE SAVING APPAREL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17. I918.

1,314,299. Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I FELIX ZACC ARD AND THOMAS P. MCDONOUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LIFE-SAVING APPAREL.

Application filed June 17,

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FELIX Zaccann and THOMAS P. MCDONOUGH, citizens of. the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county'of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain 'new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Apparel, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to life-saving apparel and has for-its object the )lOVlSlOIl of a suit which may be quickly conned over the ordinary clothing and which may be fitted closely to the wearers body so as to prevent the admission of water between the suit and the body. A further object of the invention is to provide a suit having a novel inflatable portion-so that it will be buoyant and will tend to support the wearer in the water for an indefinite period.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter first fully described and then particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawingsz.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the manner of using our improved lifesaving apparel; I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the suit;

F'g. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the front closure showing the parts separated but approximately in their relative positions.

In carrying out our invention we employ a flexible fabric material which is impregnated or covered with rubber so that it will be moisture proof and will thereby prevent manufacturing rubber articles.

the entrance of water and will turn the same aside so that the water cannot pass through the material of which the suit 'is' formed. The garment is preferably constructed in the manner of a union suit. with double walls, the inner ply or wall 1 of the material being shaped to provide a body, portion 2, a nether portion 3, and sleeves 4. The sleeves may beformed separately and sewed or otherwise attached to the body portion at'the shoulders of the sanie,'but it is preferably to form the entire suit as an integral structure in the usual manner of The body portion will have meeting edges or flaps 5 down its 0 )en .front so that the garment may be easily and quickly donned over the ordinary clothing, and these edges or flaps will be provided with reinforcing and stiff- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

1918. Serial No. 240,413.

ening plates (3 of angular section which will be inclosed in hems 7 formed on the body so that they will be protected against rusting and other deleterious influences.

-There are provided a plurality of threaded garment and form a water-tight joint. The

swiveled end of each stud has a knob or 'thumb piece 8 pinned or otherwise secured thereto whereby the stud may be rotated. This will be clear from Fig. 4. The reinforcing plates 6 are provided on the 'distal faces of their outstanding flanges with enlargements 10 so that the screws or pins will have sutlicient bearing to hold firmly. The neck portion 11 of the garment will be provided with a gusset 12 and a cord 13 will be laced through the edges of the gusset so that the said neck portion may be drawn close about the neck to prevent the entrance of water into the garment at that point. The wrist portions 14 of the sleeves and the ankle portions 15 will be also provided with the gussets 16 and these gussets will be preferably closed by straps and buckle fasteners 17 so that the wrist and ankle portions will be drawn closely about the limbs of the wearer and the garment caused to fit watertight at all points.

Extending over the shoulder portions from the front of the sameso that when the gar-" 'ment is to be used the said sacks may be easily inflated and the desired buoyancy thus attained. These elements 18 when de tlated or partly inflated present the appearance in front of two separate sacks simulating the rolling collar and long lapcls of a sack coat, spaced from each other in front, and extending well below the waist line and around the hips; but at the back the sacks 'may unite in a single pouch as seen in Fig.

3. The air pouch thus has the union garment as its'inner ply and the sack walls as its outer ply, and the latter is divided in front to correspdud with the open front of fattheopposite end with the body of said union garment 'lo facilitat tlle intlation of the sack, we provide atuhe 20 which is coustruvtml at one end to fit nvel'theinfiatinfl'i'zlh'v aiid'nm} be l a mouthpiece as will be understood on reference to Fig. 1. When not in use, the tube may be held by clips 21 on the front of the garment.

From the foregoing descriptiom taken in "connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be een that we have provided a very simple, inexpensive and easily donned garment. which may be easily inflated so as to support. a wearer in water tor a long time. The inflatable portion of the garment will cover approximately the entire body but not the limbs of the wearer so that he will be supported in proper position in the Water v for swimming and will not quickly become fatigued, hence his strength will be conserved and the chances of being saved by passing vessels consequently increased. The arms and'legs of the union suit may be as long as desired; and, if the various fastenings exclude water, none will get under the suit next the wearer. Close fit of the suit gives freedom of movement, and yet the proximate edges of the sacks 18 are spaced to expose thefront fastenings. The suit equipped" should he water u'oof, luitueed not he of as heavy material as the outer wall of the pouch because the smt--httmg1 closely as 1t'does- Hated. In other words, the presence of the body in the suit andmside the'mner wall of the pouch ,resistsdistention thereof inwardly, whereas the outer wall-may bulge I or stretch outwardly.

Having thus described is claiined as new is:

Life saving apparel comprising a close fitting waterproof union suit open down the front of its neck and body, fastenings along the edges of said opening, an outer ply of waterproof fabric secured aroundits edges to said suit and shapedto form two sacks extending from the hips upward along and spaced from said fastenings'mver the shoulders, behind the neck, under. the arms, and connected across the back to constitute a our invention, what I flotation poueli whose inner wall is the union suit within the bounds of said edges, an means for inflating said pouch.

i In testimony whereof tures.

FELIX ZAGGARD. a 3. THOMAS 1'. MGDONOUGIL v a s we afiix our signa 

